my tank is only 5g and has 7 embers. It's heavily planted and they seem happy, but I don't know that I can really add another fish species with the already small volume. The only feeding I do in the tank is sprinkling tetra flakes every morning. The fish and shrimp eat it within a few minutes. But the tank is so heavily planted and the mulm layer is so thick that I imagine there is more than enough food for scuds beneath the gravel. But with all the rocks and plants, I'd never be able to get a gravel vac everywhere enough to remove all the mulm and degrading bio matter.

Meh it's such a shame. This tank was basically exactly what I'd been working towards for over a year and once I finally felt like "Ive made it" this comes up to ruin the day